The Best Things To Do In Kampot (The Perfect One Day Tour)

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Last Updated: December 10 2020

Kampot sits on the Preaek Tuek Chhu River in Southern Cambodia. It is a beautiful city, and we spent 5 nights here so we had the chance to see everything. There are so many things to do in Kampot, and it is also the perfect place to relax.

Kampot has a very colonial feel to it, and is a must for any Cambodia itinerary! Beautiful restaurants with amazing food line Kampot River and there are so many yummy dishes to try.

Kampot was so different from the rest of Cambodia, and the best part? It doesn’t have the hustle and bustle of other cities in Cambodia.

In this blog post, we will go through the best things to do in Kampot so you can make the most out of your time here. We will go through where you need to visit, where to stay and the option to do a tour in Kampot. We chose the tour and it was a great way to see the city and its surroundings.

Wat Sampov Pram — There are so many amazing things to do in Kampot!

Table of Contents

The best things to do in Kampot, Cambodia

There are so many things to do around Kampot, but we are just going to go through the main ones. These are the places you should visit if you only have a limited time here.

The Old French Bridge

This bridge is fascinating as it is a mismatch of different styles, due to the repairs that have taken place over the years. Half the bridge was destroyed during the Khmer Rouge Regime, and instead of it being repaired in the same style, it was pretty much thrown back together.

This is what gives it the unique look it has today. Simply head to Kampot River to get a great view of the Old French Bridge. If you head to the river at night, you can see the bridge lit up with bright colours.

It is a great spot to take photographs and watch the world go by. The bridge is open to both pedestrians and motorbikes so be careful when walking across.

Old French Bridge in Kampot — Sunset at the Old French Bridge, Kampot

The Durian roundabout

Kampot is famous for durian fruit, so what better way to celebrate this than to have a durian fruit monument on the roundabout. It may seem strange, but it is pretty impressive!

The streets around the Durain roundabout have plenty of street food vendors so it is a great place to grab some food. The dishes vary from fresh fruits to noodles, and they are perfect for a quick snack.

Tours around Kampot

A tour is a great way to see what this city has to offer. There are lots of Kampot tours to choose from, but we picked the one day tour of Bokor National Park.

You can either book the tours online or through a tour operator. We booked the tour directly through one of the tour operators found in the centre of Kampot.

The tour cost $13 each and was well worth the money. The price includes pick up, lunch, drop off and a firefly cruise ticket.

Bokor National Park in Kampot — Bokor National Park is one of the places to see in Cambodia

The tour itinerary

Pick up

Make sure you arrange with the tour operator a pickup point. Usually, it will be your accommodation. We got picked up at 9 am, and after picking a few other people up we headed to the first destination.

Yeay Mao Monument

The Yeay Mao Monument is a large Buddha statue that sits upon Bokor mountain. Yeay Mao is a heroine who the people of Cambodia devote themselves to. The architecture of the monument is beautiful, and so are the colours.

Damnak Sla Khmao

Damnak Sla Khmao (also known as the Black Palace) is just a 5-minute walk away from the Yeay Mao Monument. Originally a holiday home for King Sihanouk, the palace is now overgrown but still an amazing spot to explore.

As you walk around the building, you get a good sense of the size and structure of the palace. The tour gives you 30 minutes to explore both sites before you head back to the minibus. The guide will tell you all about these sites and their history.

The Casino

Bokor Hill has a lot of abandoned buildings which were left behind by the French in 1972. One of the most popular is the casino.

The roads in Cambodia, on the whole, are awful. However, the road up Bokor Hill is flawless. Apparently, this is because it’s the road that leads to the casino (pretty big coincidence if you ask us, ey?).

The casino, as well as other abandoned buildings on Bokor Hill, were used by the Khmer Rouge as a training base. Some of the buildings still have bullet holes, where renovation is yet to take place.

The Casino is now is a large hotel called the Le Bokor Palace Hotel. The view from the garden is incredible so make sure you take some photographs! The hotel is strange as it is beautiful but completely in the middle of nowhere.

It is so far away from anywhere, and you would only be able to eat at the hotel. Bizarre, but beautiful none the less!

Bokor Hill Casino — The ‘old casino’ doesn’t look so old anymore!

A stop off for lunch

The tour guide will take you to a lovely spot for lunch. The views of the national park are beautiful, and it is the perfect place to eat!

For lunch, it was vegetable fried rice, water or tea/coffee. The food was delicious, and the view made it even better!

Wat Sampov Pram

Wat Sampov Pram is found at the top of Bokor Hill and is the highest pagoda in Cambodia. The area is quite eerie because the buildings have become quite derelict but it is still a must when visiting Kampot.

On a clear day, you can see incredible views over the Gulf of Thailand and Bokor National Park from this spot.

The Old Catholic Church

This Church was built in 1920 and is the oldest church in Kampot. It was built by the French as part of the township on Bokor hill.

Unlike the casino, the church has not gone through any reconstruction work. However, the structure is still in great condition and occasionally tourists are allowed inside the church. The architecture inside the church is beautiful, with lots of different paintings and patterns.

After exploring the church, take a walk up to the hill behind. From up here, you get great views of the national park and the church.

We spent about 30 minutes at the church before it was time to head back to Kampot for some relaxation, before the firefly cruise.

Kampot Old French Church — The Old Cathedral Church in Bokor National Park

The firefly cruise

Normally if you go on a firefly cruise you will have to pay at the boat. However, as part of this tour, the ticket is included which makes life a lot easier.

The firefly cruise is one of the top things to do in Kampot and is the part we enjoyed the most! The cruise takes you on a trip down the Preaek Tuek Chhu River to try and find fireflies.

The cruise begins as the sun sets at about 7 pm. This means that after you return from Bokor National Park you can have a few hours to rest and get some food.

Onboard the boat you can buy drinks, and sit on the rooftop. The boat trip is very relaxing and Kampot looks amazing at night so you get some great views.

The journey to the fireflies takes around an hour, and then you get to sit and watch these beautiful creatures. The boat plays relaxing music, and you get to watch the fireflies light up the trees and the sky. The experience was magical and is a must for a Cambodia travel itinerary!

After about 15-20 minutes the boat heads back to Kampot. If you don’t want to do the tour, you can still go on the firefly cruise. Just head to one of the boat stands during the day and buy your ticket there.

Booking.com

Why choose the tour

If you don’t go by tour, you will have to hire a car, bike or tuk-tuk driver. We believe this tour is the best way to get around Kampot and see all the amazing sights on offer to you.

The fact that you get lunch included, and you get to learn about each place from a guide makes the experience even better. We don’t usually like to do tours, because we like exploring by ourself. However, some tours are just too good a price to turn down.

We had plenty of time in each place, and we never felt rushed! If you are looking for fun things to do in Kampot, then this tour is for you!

How to get to Kampot

Getting to Kampot is straightforward, with the easiest and cheapest way being by bus. One of the most popular routes is Phnom Penh to Kampot, but you can also get here from Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Kep.

We got a bus from Phnom Penh to Kampot and cost just $15 for the two of us. The journey takes around 3 hours 30 minutes. We bought our bus tickets from a travel agent opposite our accommodation who then picked us up from our hotel the next day.

Onward travel from Kampot

From Kampot, we travelled onward to Koh Rong Samloem. To get here you will need to buy a bus ticket and a boat return ticket.

Our accommodation owner booked the minibus to Sihanoukville and then we got advice on how to book the boat. The owner of the accommodation in Koh Rong Samloem told us which boat to get and what time we should choose.

Where to stay in Kampot

There is plenty of accommodation in Kampot, but the one we chose was ideal for us. It was right by the river, so was a prime location and there were plenty of restaurants close by.

We stayed in Good Morning Kampot which cost us £8.50 a night for a double room with an ensuite. The hotel was great and they always helped us when it came to booking transport and other things.

We were travelling on a budget through Cambodia, but we understand not everybody wants to travel on a budget. Here are some other hotels in Kampot, for a higher budget.

Medium price

Bamboo Bungalow- £26 a night for a double room cabin with lake view.
Two Moons Hotel- £28 a night for a deluxe double room with air conditioning and pool access.

Luxury

Pippali Boutique Hotel- £40 a night for a superior double and breakfast.
Hotel Old Cinema- £61 a night for a superior king room with breakfast and pool access.

The Old Cathedral Church, Kampot — The Old Cathedral Church on Bokor Mountain, Kampot

We hope this post has convinced you to plan a trip to Kampot. If you are looking for what to do in Kampot, the options are endless. We have focused this post on the tour we took, as we believe it offers great value!

We didn’t hire a scooter whilst travelling through Asia, so this was the best way for us to see Kampot.

Have you ever been to Cambodia? We would love to hear about your trip if you have!

P.S If you want to follow our journey, you can find our Twitter HERE.

Thanks for reading,
Jack & Abbie

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Jack Bolton

I’m one half of Acouplescalling. I'm passionate about all things travel and photography and I love sharing my experiences with others. I've seen a lot of the world already and I want to help as many people as I can do the same thing!

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